


Ants and the Wasp

by han_the_dragon



Series: (Un)expected Encounters [2]
Category: Ant-Man (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, Swearing but not too much, Why Did I Write This?, and slower updates probably, ava and hope are like besties and i blame twitter for that, ava has a dog bc i also say so, bc I can't shut up about ideas that I like, hope has a cat bc i say so, this is probably gonna turn out even more cheesy than i planned, whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-24 20:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21504985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/han_the_dragon/pseuds/han_the_dragon
Summary: "You never know what's waiting for you behind the corner." said the sweet old lady when Scott was seven years old. Back then, it only caused him to be scared of turning corners because he thought he'd bump into a murderer with a giant, bloody knife in his hand.But now, almost after thirty years, he thinks he gets what she actually meant by that.
Relationships: Ava Starr & Hope Van Dyne, Scott Lang & Luis (Ant-Man movies), Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne
Series: (Un)expected Encounters [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550029
Kudos: 13





	Ants and the Wasp

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, I have issues with writing a one-shot and leaving it that way. I meant to write the whole thing before posting it but, whatever.

Hope hummed to herself the last song played on the radio as she unlocked her door and entered her apartment. She held the door with her foot as she carried her bags inside. She threw her keys to the little bowl on the tall stand, then took off her shoulder strap bag and stretched after doing so. A small sigh escaped from her lips. Shopping with Carol and Pepper after her usual work-out in the gym had worn her out today.

“Rough day at work?” A voice asked from the dark apartment.

Hope’s whole body tensed at her recognition of the voice. She walked further into the apartment and saw her father’s silhouette on the armchair in front of the window. The weak afternoon light could barely light his face. Selina was on his lap, purring under his touch.

“Sorry, I let myself in,” he started. His voice carried a hint of smugness. “But in my defense, I wasn’t so sure you’d allow me in.”

Hope stopped by the large table in the middle of the apartment and clenched its wooden side to stop herself from throwing a bottle of paint at him. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“Don’t you think the answer to the latter is obvious? Who do you think taught your mother to pick locks in the first place?” he answered.

Hope wanted him go. Now. “What do you want?”

He slowly stood up and put Selina back on the couch gently. The cat tried to claw his fancy suede jacket’s fringe playfully. He walked to Hope while pulling out an envelope from his inside pocket. “I’m sure you’ve heard about it but in case you haven’t, there’ll be an art festival in Paris, starting at the end of this month. I got an invitation for two -thought maybe you’d like to come too.”

“Why? So you could shine more beside your ‘teacher’ daughter in front of your friends?” Hope asked sarcastically.

“Actually, I’ve heard a painting by Wasp would be in the exhibit. I figured she wouldn’t want to leave it alone.” Hank stared right into her eyes and Hope tried to not give anything away, but her silence must’ve been the thing Hank was looking for, judging by his sly smirk. “It took me long enough, yes, but don’t look so surprised that I figured it out. As much as you want to deny it, I knew her more than you did.”

“And whose fault is that?” Hope hissed. Hank’s smile disappeared instantly and he looked down. Hope’s voice trembled slightly when she pointed at the door. “Get out my house, or I’ll call the police.”

Her father bit his lip but kept his head down and said nothing. He turned and walked to the door without rush. His small ponytail didn’t even move until he opened the door. He closed it behind him without sparing another glance at his daughter.

Hope on the other hand, weren’t feeling so calm. In and out, she was repeating as she tried to contain her breathing. She started to walk inside her apartment, stopping beside the table again and holding on to it with both hands. So forceful as if she wanted to break them. Seconds later, she let out a short scream and threw the closest thing to her hand. Selina let out a terrified cry and ran to hide under the couch as pieces of glass smashed into pieces.

Hope squeezed her eyes shut as her body shook with hiccups that she couldn’t stop. Unbuttoning her shirt to feel some sort of relief, she threw it on the armchair as she went to the windows. She opened one and let the cold afternoon air bit her bare arms and shoulders, calming her slightly. She looked down and saw Hank’s signature old car on the sidewalk. A faint sound of a starting engine came to Hope’s ears, then the car’s lights turned on. It left the street under Hope’s despising look.

When cold air became too chilly, Hope closed the window then nearly collapsed on the armchair that Hank was sitting moments ago. She turned to her left, looking at the big, colorful painting of a wasp that hung above the short but wide bookshelves.

_As much as you want to deny it, I knew her more than you did._

“And it’s your fault that I don’t…” Hope whispered, tears falling down from her eyes. She wiped her tears with a shaky sigh but let the new ones come.

A small meow, made Hope look. Selina had came out from her hiding place, and now was sneaking up on Hope, gently headbutting her leg.

Hope sniffed and lifted the cat from the floor, hugging her. Selina started to purr and headbutted to Hope’s chin, making her laugh then groan when she began to lick her cheek.

“Yeah, I love you too. I’m sorry I scared you,” Hope whispered to her cat and checked her paws even though she threw the glass in the opposite direction. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

The cat had no injuries, which made Hope feel slightly better, until she remembered how she let her father get under her skin again.

She hadn’t lost control like this for years. To be precise, since she left for college and never returned to her childhood home. Though, the real reason for it was most likely because they never saw or called each other other than making sure the other was still alive.

Hope was doing it mostly by checking out his latest Tweets about the latest generation of artist and how disappointing they were.

Hope didn’t know how he figured it out, but didn’t care. He was too late to show up to invite her to a trip. He was too late to act like a father.

Hope leaned back on the armchair and looked at the broken pieces of glass scattered on the floor along with brushes. She needed to clean it up before Selina or herself could cut themselves, but she couldn’t find the strength to do yet. She didn’t move as her apartment became darker and darker, her eyes still fixed on the broken pieces, she thought all the promises her father made to her when she was little and how many times he broke them as she grew up.

* * *

Hope’s eyes shot open with the ring of her doorbell.

“It’s saturday,” groaning, she looked at her phone, 7:12 A.M.

Cursing under her breath, she threw the covers off of herself. She got up and wore her morning gown. Selina sprinted into her bedroom the moment she opened the door but quickly followed Hope after.

“You woke up too, huh?” Hope grumbled as she walked to answer the door. The bell was still ringing like it wanted to explode her brains out. “I’m coming!”

“COME FASTER!” a yell came behind the door, then more bells and loud knocks.

With the mysterious sleep terrorist revealed, Hope opened the door harshly. “What the fuck, Ava?!”

Ava gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. “You speak to _children_ with that mouth?!”

Hope was too sleepy for this. “What do you want?”

“Ok, I’m gonna pretend you haven’t said that in that tone for the sake of my tender feelings. _Especially_ after waking up at _6:30 A.M._ just so I can go to _YOUR FAVORITE BAKERY_.” Ava left two warm bags on Hope’s arms and stepped inside the apartment without waiting for an invite. Hope closed the door with her foot.

Ava went on her knees and tried to pet Selina, but the cat hissed and ran away before she could even touch. Disappointed, she watched the cat go and hide under the couch, glowy eyes staring at her from the semi-dark. “ _Aaand_ , that’s why I have a dog and not a cat.”

“You woke both of us up and still think she’ll let you pet her?” Hope asked while peeking into the bag see the contents. Croissants, mini-pies, donuts, and two large cups of mocha from the coffee shop down the block. _Mmm,_ “Okay, maybe I’ll forgive you for waking me up this early in a saturday just this one time.”

Ava flashed a grin to her, but it quickly disappeared when Selina hissed at her again from under the couch when Ava got up. She put her hands in her hoodie’s pockets while eyeing the cat. “Why your cat isn’t as easy to bribe as you?”

“Dunno, though I think she has a special grudge for you. She was feeling very content in my father’s lap yesterday, so,” Hope said, her attention on taking the food out on the table.

“Wow, really? How did you haven’t put her in adoption yet?” Ava asked, reaching for her own coffee as Hope sipped hers.

Hope huffed a laugh, “Ooh, she was very close, but she made me forgive her later.” Hope bit her first bite from the still-warm croissant and relished in its buttery taste.

“My Bandit would never,” Ava said, reaching for a donut. “He probably would go and steal his scarf or glasses, but he would never betray me like that.”

Hope snorted into her pastry when she imagined the scene: Ava’s unamenable Borzoi coming then slightly jumping, taking her father’s favorite 130 dollar scarf between her teeth, and running away so fast that he can’t catch him. “If he did that, I would give him a whole jar of peanut butter and say he’s the best boy I ever seen.”

“And what Selina would do then?” Ava asked toward the cat’s general location but received no answer.

“She doesn’t even care,” Hope said, finishing her pastry without bothering for any manners.

Ava promptly looked away from the couch for the rest of the breakfast.

* * *

“Jokes are all great but you really should put an alarm on your apartment Hope,” Ava said as she and Hope ran in the cold october morning. “Your dad's weird-ass agent skills aside, if he could do it, so could a thief.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hope said, then stopped to take a swig from her water bottle. “Though I don’t remember asking you about my security problems. What I asked was you to listen to me while I rant about my father’s terrible parenting.”

“Yeah, but no offense- he’s at least trying. You know I don’t like him many reasons other than how he treated you when you were a child, but you gotta admit he’s at least making an effort.”

Hope closed her bottle’s lid, and they continued to their pace. “Maybe, but what did he expect when he broke into my apartment, then invite me to an event that has _my_ painting in it, and do it in a way like he was being nice -then show off that he knew my mother better than I ever did.”

“Jerk,” Ava said.

“And before he showed up, I was seriously considering to go. As the Wasp, I mean.”

“W-w wait,” Ava stopped her. “Like - _as_ the Wasp? For real?”

“Well, yeah… This whole alias thing was to keep my dad and his friends off of my neck. It’s literally why I became a teacher in the first place.”

“Don’t say that in front of the kids... So, you’re gonna quit then, right?. When?”

“Well, I like being a teacher, but lately… I think I spent too much time of my life being petty and… I don’t want to ask for a day off any longer when I don't need to keep that job.” Ava nodded, and they began to walk. “I plan to resign at the end of the year.”

“Good. You know what else is good?” Ava asked, and Hope knew that whatever it was, Ava was going to pull her in with her too. Ava pointed up to a sign for her to read. “ _This._ ”

**X-CON SECURITY CONSULTANTS**

“Let’s go and check it out,” Ava said, dragging Hope with her.

**Author's Note:**

> As I said above, Ava and Hope friendship is kind of Twitter's fault, but I also find it interesting. I mean, I don't see them becoming this close in the third film, but I think I can play with it, right?
> 
> But if you think it's way too out of character, even by the standards of an au, tell me. I'd be happy.


End file.
